Arms Build Up Scare in Bayelsa Ahead November Guber Poll
2 min read
There are fears that some politicians may have started piling up arms ahead of the November 11 gubernatorial election. The contest is mainly between the APC and the PDP, although the Labour Party and other political parties are also going to be on the ballot.
During the last general election, there were allegations of violence in parts of the state, especially the coastal parts of the state that are linked with the Atlantic Ocean.
Some political party agents had also alerted on how they were chased out of some of the riverine communities by agents of a certain political party which was said to be desperate to win some seats in the legislature.
A few months to the election which is clearly between the incumbent governor , Senator Douye Diri, a former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva and then Mr Udengs Eradiri, there are speculations already, that arms are being piled up in some parts of the state.
The governor, while launching his social media campaign platform raised the alarm last week, warning that those behind the act should have a rethink to avoid bloodshed in the state.
He said: “We are hearing some people want to pile up arms, pile up arms for November 11th, we will not pile up arms, those arms will be piled up and they will never be used. We don’t want the blood, innocent blood of our people, no matter how lowly placed because you want to be governor, no, a thousand times no.
“Let our suffering women be brought out of suffering and poverty, let our suffering youths be brought out of suffering and poverty and not to take advantage of that suffering and use them as pawns. No, a thousand times no.
“Let Bayelsa State become a state of peace, a state of unity, a state that people will like to be coming to even the citizens of Bayelsa State. And a lot depend on you.”
He charged the social media practitioners to ensure that they did all within their power to promote peace instead of violence, even as he challenged them to be truthful in all their posts.
